Improvement in automatic fire-extinguishers



B. LEONARD. Automatic Fire-Extinguishers.

No. 220,764. Patented Oct. 21,1879.

N.FETERS, PHUTO'UTHOGRAFHER, WASHINGTON. D (I,

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE EDWARD LEONARD, OF PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT lN AUTOMATIC FIRE-EXTINGUISHERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 220,764, dated October'21, 1879 application filed July 29, 1879.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD LEONARD, of the city and county ofPhiladelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Automatic Fire-Extinguishers, of which the following isa specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to that class of fire-extinguishers in which pipesare arranged in a building in such a manner that the heat will cause oneor more valves to open and admit the water, which is thenauton'iatically distributed into the building; and the nature of myinvention consists in a system of distributing-pipes arranged insections or divisions, each section or division having its own valveindependent of the others, so that in case of fire at one end of abuilding the valve or valves at that point will be opened to admit thewater, while those at the other end, where there is no fire, will remainclosed.

It further consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement ofparts, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth, and pointed out inthe claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of my improved fire-extinguisher.Fig. 2 is a crosssection through the main of one section; Fig. 3, asection of the automatic valve.

A is a room, to the ceiling of which is secured the water-main B, whichdraws its supply from the city mains, tank on the root, orother'convenient source where the water is always under pressure.

From the main B the water is led off by feeders U G, and discharged intothe room by the sprinklers D D. Leading from main B is a pipe, F, whichis formed into a valve-seat, f, at its lower extremity, and which issecured within a cross, E.

Into either side of the cross E the feeders C G are secured, and to theouter end of said feeders the sprinklers D D are secured at rightangles.

The water-valve G supports a non-adhesivecomposition face, I', whichpresses against the seat fwhen the valve is closed. The under part ofvalve G has an annular projection, g. This valve Gr and face I aresecured upon a valve-rod, H, by the nut J, which has an annularknife-edge,j, on the bottom, the object of which is to press in o thecomposition I, and

which cup is slightly greater than the external diameter of cup h. Theplug K also carries an annular packing-ring, k.

A cylinder or safety-cap, L, is screwed onto the plug K, and has smallopenings 1 at its upper end, as shown.

The sprinkler D has a number of openings, d cl, by which the water isthrown obliquely and upward, and also a number of holes, (1, by whichthe water is thrown vertically and upward.

At the upper part of the cup h or rod H there is a shoulder, which ispressed against the plug K when the cups h and k are being solderedtogether, the purpose of which is to prevent any of the fusible solderrunning into the valve.

The operation is as follows: The valve Gr being forced up so that {theface I is tight against the seat f, and the cup h within the cup K, andthese two cups secured together by means of fusible metal or solder M,the water is kept in the mains B. Now, supposing a fire to break out,the heat will gradually increase until, by passing into the cup h andbetween the cup is and cylinder or safety-cap L, it will melt the solderor fusible metal, and then, there being nothing to prevent the valvefalling, it drops, this action being facilitated by the pressure of thewater above the valve. The holes I 1 allow a free circulation of theheat in cap L. When the valve G is open the annular projection g restsupon the packingring k, and thereby prevents any water from escapingthrough the plug K, which would diminish the pressure in the sprinklersD D, and consequently lessen the throw of water from said sprinklers. Assoon as the valve G has dropped the water from mains B and pipe F passesthrough the feeders O G and into the sprinklers D D, from which it isdischarged through the holes, as shown in Fig. 2.

The cylinder or safety-cap L may or may not be used; but when used itsfunction is to prevent water from another section striking the cup 7;,and thereby prevent the fusion of the solder taking place.

In putting the valve in place the cups 1; and h are first securedtogether with the fusible metal or solder, and then the plug K screwedinto the cross E until the face I of the valve G is tight against theseat f.

It will be noticed that my perforated distributing-pipes are arranged insections or divisions, and each section or division has its own valve,independent of the others, so that in case of tire in any part of abuilding the valve or valves immediately affected will be openedautomatically, and the water admitted and distributed through suchsections or divisions, while the valves in other parts of the buildingwill remain closed.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States- 1. In a tire-extinguisher, a systemof per forated distrilmting-pipcs arranged in sections or divisions,connected to a common main, and each section or division provided with avalve held in place by fusible metal, which valve will openautomatically when such metal is melted by heat, substantially as hereinset forth.

2. In a fire-extinguisher whose distributer is composed of perforatedsprinkling-pipes in detached sections, and in combination with ofperforated pipes as distributers, whether the same be employedvertically, horizontally, or obliquely, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

4. The safety-cap L, to protect the fusible solder of afire-extinguisher valve, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a fire-extinguisher, a valve adapted to open upon the melting ofthe fusible solder by which the same is held in place, in combinationwith a perforated sprinkler-pipe,said pipe being perforated in suchmanner as to throw water upward against the ceiling of the room in whichsaid sprinkler is located, the whole forming an automaticfire-extinguisher, as shown and described.

6. In a fire extinguisher, the hollow cup k formed in the valve-stem, incombination with the cylindrical cup L, to facilitate the meltin g ofthe fusible solder, substantially as shown and described.

7. Avalve foran automatic fire-extinguisher in which the valve-rod H hasa shoulder at the top of the cup h, which is pressed against the plug Kfor the purpose of preventing the fusible solder M from rnnning into thevalve, in combination with the cup it, all constructed substantially asshown and described.

8. The plug K, provided at the bottom with the cup k, and in the uppersurface with the packing-ring k, to receive the flange g on the underside of the valve G, as and for the purposes set forth.

9. The combination of the valve G, having non-adhesive-composition faceI and flange g,

the shouldered stem H,having cup h, the plug K, with packing-ring k andcup k, and the safety-cap L, havingopenings I, all constructedsubstantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony of the foregoing specification I have hereunto signed myname this 25th day of July, 1879.

ED. LEONARD. Witnesses:

W. C. STRAWBRIDGE, JonN JOLLEY, Jr.

